Church House

Church House, Westminster

Assembly Hall, chapel and offices built between 1936 and 1940 by Sir Herbert Baker and A.T. Scott for the Church of England. The building was restored after bomb damage in 1949–50.

The structure is steel-framed with reinforced concrete, clad in brick set on a flint base with stone ashlar dressings. The roofs are plain tile with a copper-roofed dome to the central Assembly Hall. The plan comprises a central Assembly Hall surrounded by an ambulatory and offices, with Hoare Memorial Hall facing Great Smith Street to the west, the House of Convocation facing Tufton Street to the east, and a chapel projecting from the north-east corner.

The building is designed in a free Georgian style. The main north front facing Dean's Yard comprises four storeys and attics. A pedimented three-bay entrance block is flanked by taller six-bay ranges and fronted by a raised terrace with a balustraded parapet. The entrance block features a boldly projecting porch with three semi-circular arched entrances. Cross windows are set above moulded stone window architraves to the first floor, with flintwork crosses positioned above. A high relief figure in the central niche, representing the Prophet of Assembly of the Church of England, was carved by Charles Wheeler. Minimal Corinthian pilasters flank the pediment, which has foliate-carved brickwork surrounding a lunette in the tympanum. The cornice continues as string courses to the taller flanking ranges, which display shields of Anglican sees alternating with semi-circular arched windows to the ground floor, with flat brick arches over sashes and hipped roof dormers. A lower four-bay range to the right (west) follows a similar style.

The four-bay chapel range to the left (east) has red brick semi-circular window architraves to the first-floor chapel above stone mullioned windows. Double-chamfered semi-circular arched pedestrian and carriage arches are present. A three-bay projection to the front contains stone mullioned and transomed ground floor windows and red brick flat arches over sashes.

Similar elevations with semi-circular arched ground-floor windows appear on Little Smith Street (south), Tufton Street (east), Great Smith Street (west), and Great College Street (south elevation of the projecting chapel range to the north-east). A tall oriel window faces Great Smith Street for Hoare Memorial Hall, whilst the House of Convocation facing Tufton Street features an oriel window and semi-circular arched windows. A six-bay range further to the east has stone mullioned windows and a doorcase with a bracketed segmental hood facing Great College Street.

The interior features an entrance hall finished in polished Ancaster stone and oak with a vaulted ceiling and fine iron balustrade to the staircase. The ambulatory, surmounted by a gallery and clerestory with semi-circular arched windows, surrounds the Assembly Hall. Lunettes with coloured reliefs are present in the ambulatory. The Assembly Hall itself has a toplit saucer-domed ceiling with figures to the springing by Charles Wheeler, heraldic devices, and plaster reliefs to panelled coves under the gallery.

Hoare Memorial Hall has a tall panelled dado and ornamental plaster ceiling. The House of Convocation features a southern apse with Anglo-Indian style arcaded seats.

The chapel is planned on a double apse and has panelled walls and a plaster vault. An altar and reredos to the east end are supported by eight gilt figures above a black marble altar. The sanctuary is paved with a variety of British marbles. A horseshoe of arched stalls at the west end is divided by finely carved corbel heads.